Carmen reached her hand underneath the faucet to check the temperature of the water. In doing so, she realized she was still wearing the ring that Shane bought for her. OH MY GOD! What was I thinking? As Carmen thought about it, she realized that everyone at the party probably noticed, even Shane! She panicked and quickly took the ring off . She placed it in her pocket, and noticed the other ring was still there as well. She didn’t know why she felt so embarrassed. Knowing their friends – they probably didn’t say anything because they assumed they were working things out. Even that conclusion didn’t prevent Carmen from blushing. All of a sudden she felt flushed at what Shane must think of her. Had their friends asked Shane about it? A sudden wave of fear rushed over her as she wondered should she even mention it.

Oh well, she thought. Can’t go back and change it now. I won’t mention it if she doesn’t.
 

She plugged in the stopper and poured in a bubble bath that she brought with her from home. As the water filled the tub, she thought about all of the baths she and Shane had taken together. They’d stay in the tub sometimes so long that by the time they got out, they were like wrinkled prunes. She laughed to herself at the thought and hadn’t even noticed that Shane had entered the bathroom.

"Wwwat are you laughing about," Shane asked , sounding almost perfect. Carmen glanced up, her thoughts pleasantly interrupted by the sight in front of her. As she stood there, in nothing but her familiar boy cut underwear, Shane felt herself all of a sudden shy, remembering just how vulnerable she must have looked. Carmen’s eyes traveled the length of her, taking her in from the top of her head to her toes, her breathing becoming hitched as she did. She herself had not been with nor had the desire to be out with any woman since the wedding night. To herself, she wondered if Shane had been alone the whole time too.

"Oh, I was uh, just thinking about…" Carmen paused. Shane’s left eyebrow raised in question, urging her to finish her sentence. "I was thinking about the bubble baths we used to make for each other. I, um, I miss those days." There. She had laid herself out there, not knowing if she had said too much.